Is Google's $129 Pixel 2 insurance actually worth it?

You can shell out $129 to give your Pixel 2 some added peace of mind, but should you?

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are two of the leanest and meanest Android flagships around. However, they're also some of the most expensive – especially if you opt for the larger XL flavor.

Google is offering a Preferred Care plan with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, and for $129, you get accidental damage coverage, access to walk-in shops for screen repairs at participating locations, and priority access for 24/7 customer support.

One user added Preferred Care with their Pixel 2 without blinking an eye, but is now second-guessing the plan's value considering its somewhat high deductible and potentially worthless priority customer support.

PaulQ

10-05-2017 02:38 AM

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I knee-jerk reaction added the $129 preferred care package as I feverishly threw together my order. Now, I see it has a $99 deductible and all of that expert and priority support is pretty useless to me as an advanced user. I have yet to seriously damage a phone.
I do have that little concern that there may be a flaw in the phone but Google treats first year replacements the same for all,...

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Some users seem quite happy with Google's offering.

GTvert90

10-05-2017 07:56 AM

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It's cheaper than insurance through Verizon. I bought it.

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ChuckG73

10-05-2017 11:15 AM

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Ok my wife breaks phones like they are made from Toilet Paper. So I got insurance on her Nexus 6P, and after 8.0 issues creeped on her phone I called Google and since it was still under warranty they said we are sending her a Pixel XL. That one incident makes it worth it in my opinion. So yes I always get insurance.What is 129 dollars when you are buying a 900 dollar phone

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But others are of the mindset that that $129 can be better spent elsewhere.

mxmarcus

10-05-2017 04:30 AM

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Not paying a red cent for care. Spend that money on good case & screen protector

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The final word is still up in the air, so we want to hear from you – do you think Google's Preferred Care is worth $129?

I bought it with the Pixel 2 XL - I guess I'll find out - I bought it more or less just for a peace of mind...

I've always had Samsung before - and I have had to use the insurance more than once - screen going completely black - and a few other mishaps. Basicslly components failing going into the second year. So yes - I buy the insurance.

For most things I tend not to bother. But when I've got close to a thousand pound in a easily stealable / smashable / drop in the oceanable package in my pocket I took the plunge and took out insurance on my Pixel (last year - not with Google - not offered in the UK). Whether or not the google insurance is better or worse than any other companies is down to the fine print but for my piece of mind - a hundred bucks is worth it. For the record, I've never totalled a phone yet though I did bang my pixel hard enough to break the case it was in and luckily only suffered dents to the bottom corners (and a tiny crack in my glass screen protector) - but anything is possible.

$129 for the policy and $99 for the deductible? Hahahahahaha, nobody should fall for that scam. Screen repairs are less than that. Other malfunctions are covered in a standard 1 year warranty and theft or loss isn't as common anymore since most phones can be located and even locked remotely.

Invest in yourself. Put that money in the bank every time you buy a new phone so if and when you do break one you can just pay for the repairs or a replacement cash.

I think insurance is a scam especially since there is a deductible of $99 after paying 129. So basically you just paid it already. If it was 129 with no deductible for first time then it might be worth it.

Point to take here is waterproofing. Just because it is rated what it is, doesn't mean it is covered under warranty. Alot of fools will be rushing to dip their phones in the sink and what not. Failure rates are real.

I buy insurance and never really use it ( touch wood) but i dropped my pixel into the sea and had to call worth ave ins to put in a claim. What drama! Ive dealt with google in the past, and whenever i call i always hang up the phone satisfied with the outcome and so Im buying their insurance for the pixel 2. If im spending the money, might as well go with the least troublesome company. Also, compared to VZW costs/benefits, its like stealing :)

Why? It's like saying car insurance is a waste of money. Yes, it's a waste if you don't use it, but if you drop your phone, break screen, case, water damage....you get it replaced with brand new one with free overnight shipping.....I think it's a win

There a couple of significant differences. Car insurance in some form in nearly every state. Car damage also is inherently going to be more expensive than phone damage in nearly every case.

Electronic devices have a fairly low failure rate. there is a reason why insurance programs like this exist and it isn't for the consumers benefit. It is because the companies know that if say only 15% or 15 out of every 100 devices they cover will have issues, the premiums from the 85% of the people paying that will never use the service will more than cover the costs i.e. the fact that there are so many insurance companies and options tells you that they are making $$$, which tells me their service probably isn't needed.

Then you get to the other stuff, ok. Say I drop my Pixel and it needs a new screen. I can get it for "free" with my care plan (really $129), or guess what? I can go to a local store and get the same work done for basically the same price out of pocket.

The moment and outfit that isn't Google pries it open your warranty is gone. Also phone repairs arenot really that cheap. S8 screen repairs in Seattle proper are around 2-300 for example. Better off with insurance if you think it's realistic that you'll break the screen really. If not then skip it.

At that point though not only are you betting on the screen breaking, you are betting on the device failing as well. And my math above was bad, because not only is it the $129 for the plan, but you also get the pleasure of paying a $79 (Pixel) to $99 (XL) deductible on top of that.

My equivalent repair price came from the recommended walk-in place directly from Google's insurance page for Omaha (and it is the same for Seattle u-break it u-fixit), which would actually be about $100 cheaper as you wouldn't be paying any deductible.

Very good points. I think really you just need to look at your track record and decide if your history of phone usage reflects the need to have some kind of insurance would check out in the cost to benefit ratio.

For me personally not so much, but for my wife, probably so. She's notorious as a killer of phones lol.

I am paying $5 bucks per month for Pixel XL insurance with that $99 deductible and ability to cancel anytime, which I am planning to do this week since they are cheaper now. So basically I am out of $55-60 bucks......but I didnt worry about dropping my Pixel during many vacations this year. You could fix the screen, BUT it takes time, it costs money (sometimes more then insurance), and you are likely to still have damage on your phone's casing. With insurance you get new device next day. delivered to your home...done.

No they push warranties because 1) they get commission on them 2) depending on the place their sales metrics may be tied to it and 3) their employer knows device/appliance failure rates are sufficiently low enough that they'll make money on the warranties.

What's the difference? In most cases we are talking about the same amount of money. What, you do not need a fridge right away if it goes out? I'm sure you have 20 phones in a drawer somewhere like me for backups. I might be one of the lucky ones, but in the 17 years I have been buying phones I did not need insurance once. I would be out a couple grand for nothing.

Same. If you're not constantly breaking your phone and actually take care of it, a small savings account is a much better option that insurance.

Insurance would just be a huge waste of money for folks like us... May as well just set fire to £20 notes/$20 bills.

There's also the fact that many household contents policies cover phones, and a lot of bank accounts offer "free" phone insurance, so many people are paying to insure the thing 2 or 3 times over (that's info based on the UK, though I'd be shocked if the situation wasn't very similar in the US).

My son has the Nexus 6p we bought from Google and we got the 2 year Nexus protect on it. His phone is shutting down at 40% almost all the time, so we're gonna use the Nexus protect and cross our fingers for a pixel XL. Cross our toes for a blue one lol

No need to cross anything, you are late to the game. Google does not replace 6Ps with Pixels anymore. And you didn't need any Nexus Protect either, they replaced them for free for everyone....but not anymore

Nexus Protect is not a Google company, so I have no idea how they handle returns but I would be surprised that some greedy insurance company sends you Pixel. Why would they? Google only did it for 1 week until they realizes that its a financial mistake

I got the insurance for my pixel XL last year and this past summer as I was filming my son at a splash pad a bucket of water was unbeknownst to me was filling with water on a pole high above, as said bucket dumped it's water squarely on my phone I was relieved that I had protection. After about a week of that insident funky stuff started to show up with the microphones and speakers, so I contacted support and they sent out a replacement free of charge and I didn't even have to pay the deductible. So for me, it was well worth it.

I'm not so sure. I feel like the only thing I've ever broke on my phone was the screen which can be replaced for not much more than the $99 deductible (and less than Verizon's $200 deductible). Any other software issues are usually covered by manufacturer warranty aren't they? Or is that only for the 1st year?

I usually think insurance is a scam and unused insurance pretty much is...but my 6P bootlooped a month before the two year mark....Google sent me a brand new XL as a replacement .... I've heard lots of horror stories from other users who were directed to deal with Huawei. I wish the insurance was closer to the 99 dollar mark that it used to be ...or at least continued through three years ... but I still think it is worth it. And I didn't have to pay the deductible either. But maybe with the water resistance this phone will be ok with the standard warranty.

I bought my 6p from Amazon and even though it was 11 months old, Amazon gave me a full refund as long as I returned it. No hassle at all. I then took advantage of the XL sake of $200 off plus daydream (which I sold on Craigslist to give me another $50 off)